It stands for Fabrication, although it is Fabulous!

MCC-Business & Technology is in the process of creating an environment where students, community members, and participating local companies can conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate and test a variety of products and ideas.

This environment is called FabLab. It will be housed in the campus’ former Making It In KC lab and equipped entirely with machinery and tools not in use in other campus labs.

Based on similar projects at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, the BTC FabLab will provide students, community and industry members two main benefits.

First, they will have access to our state-of-the-art fabrication equipment from computer software to prototype printers and precision machining equipment. Second, they will have the opportunity to consult with our knowledgeable BTC faculty and staff about projects, ideas and concepts.

"The FabLab will allow creative, talented individuals to formulate their ideas and concepts into actual physical reality,” said Edgar Jimenez, FabLab advisory board member and a retired Honeywell welding engineer. “I can see the potential this facility will have encouraging the advancement of manufacturing technology in the Kansas City area."

After hearing about the concept at the first advisory board meeting, Mr. Jimenez showed his appreciation and enthusiasm for the FabLab project with a $1,000 donation.

The official launch of the BTC FabLab will be announced soon. Limited membership of current students will begin at the start of spring 2011 semester and will open to the public later in the year. Campus personnel have been meeting with members of Hallmark’s creative team to investigate ways for that company to use the lab. Dimensional Innovations, another manufacturer of creative concepts, has invited BTC representatives to tour its facility, discuss lab integration and outline opportunities for student internships.

FabLab incorporates skills and knowledge from several disciplines including: Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Engineering, Welding, Precision Machining, and Electronics.

For more information about the FabLab contact project coordinator, Steve Dowell - 604.5290 or fablab@mcckc.edu.

President Barack Obama recently visited Lorain County Community College FabLab. Read more here.

Additional information about FabLab can be found at Lorain County Community College FabLab page or the MIT FabLab page.

Click below for FabLab video from Lorain County Community College.

MCC Makes Virtual Corn Dog at Missouri State Fair

"Don't worry, her eyes will heal quickly. She's young!," said Hassan Zarabi when he was questioned about the safety of taking a 3D laser-scan of a young fairgoer's face.

Metropolitan Community College employees Dan Ascheman, Hassan Zarabi and Alex Grigsby visited the Missouri State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 14 for Science Fair in the Street. Colleges from across the state packed into a large tent over the weekend to show off some of the latest science and engineering technology.

"Sure there are more practical uses, but it seems appropriate to scan a corn dog. We are at the state fair!" said Hassan.

The 3D scanner is part of the Engineering Technology programs at MCC-Business & Technology Campus. The scanner is used as a tool to teach reverse engineering. For more information about Engineering Technology click here.

Science Fair in the Street was organized by MCCA and SCOPE - Science and Citizens Organized for Purpose and Exploration.

MCC-BTC attends RapidTech workshop to learn about Advanced Manufacturing

Kansas City and the surrounding community are home to hundreds of manufacturers and thousands of manufacturing jobs. MCC-Business & Technology is committed to preparing its students for the manufacturing jobs of the future.

Whereas manufacturing 50 years ago required massive amounts of unskilled manual laborers, manufacturing of the present and future require skilled technicians who understand the process, software and hardware involved in stereolithography, selective laser sintering, laser scanning, and 3D printing to name a few.

Last week, in beautiful Irvine, Calif. (while the rest of us sweltered in the summer heat), Tom Wheeler, Penny Tepesch, David Hawkins, Jen Dec, Chris Page and Steve Dowell attended the 2010 RapidTech workshop at Saddleback Community College to learn about the latest manufacturing technologies.

RapidTech is an educational entity designed to offer learning opportunities for students to learn and use these advanced manufacturing technologies. The key to RapidTech’s success is its continual collaboration on projects with national businesses in the aerospace, medical device, automotive, consumer products and art animation industries.

MCC's goal is to also be an expert resource, partner, consultant and learning facility to students, businesses, and educational institutions. The trip to Rapidtech's workshop was aimed at attendees learning how RapidTech has partnered and affiliated themselves with over 80 other institutions to achieve these goals.

“Our group worked alongside approximately 50 other attendees learning how many of these technologies in our own school can be utilized to better achieve our goals here at the BTC,” said manufacturing instructor Steve Dowell. “From 8 a.m. until approximately 5:30 p.m., the agenda was packed with instructor workshops, dealer demos, and very informative presentations from other colleges from around the country. Our goal now is to take what was presented to us at the workshop and apply these processes to better utilize the BTC's labs, classrooms, and instructors.”

MCC-BTC continues to build its 3D prototyping lab. We now have the ability to concept a product or part, create the design using 3D software, print the prototype design on 3D printers and finally create the part in our manufacturing lab.

According to Tom Wheeler, dean of instruction, “the next step is to continue reaching out to local manufacturers to create a consortium that fosters learning, collaboration and provides value to our students, these manufacturers and our community.”

“We are a community college," said Wheeler. "We are here to serve the community and prepare the workforce our industry partners need. The better we understand the current and and developing technologies, the better we are able to meet that mission. community the better we are able to deliver.”

For more information or to schedule a tour of BTC’s 3D prototyping lab, contact William Allyn at 816.604.5647 or Chris Page at 816.604.5438

For more information about the RapidTech workshop click here.

To view pictures from the RapidTech workshop click here.

3-D design and prototyping seminar at MCC-BTC

About 40 people attended the seminar “3-D Design- Bring Your Ideas to Life” at MCC-Business & Technology on June 10. The half-day seminar was cosponsored by Computer Aided Technology Inc. (CATI). Hassan Zarabi, BTC engineering technology instructor, and John Nichols of CATI demonstrated SolidWorks software capabilities and 3-D prototyping equipment. Rapid prototyping allows companies to create models from 3-D drawings in a matter of minutes on prototype printers. "Concept to product" is the buzzword. BTC has developed a new lab to teach this technology (pictured above).

Debbie Goodall, BTC president, and Steve Dowell, MCC-Business & Learning Solutions performance consultant, introduced the concept of developing a manufacturing consortium with area companies interested in working with MCC in the manufacturing technology and engineering technology labs. Children’s Mercy Hospital was among the organizations that responded. Representatives said their biotechnology researchers would like to use BTC’s prototyping capabilities in cardiac research.